Standards Organisation Of Nigeria: Fighting Counterfeiting Through Product Endorsements (PART FIVE)

Despite concerted efforts of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to curb if not totally eliminate production by indigenous manufacturers and the importation of substandard and unwholesome goods in the country, there still exist unpatriotic and greedy fraudsters who indulge in the counterfeiting of genuine products. These counterfeited products, some of which can be hardly distinguished from the genuine, are pushed into the market for purchase and utilisation by the unsuspecting publics.

However, as part of measures towards protection of consumers from fake and adulterated products,  SON apart from embarking on raids of warehouses of dealers on counterfeit or fake products, gives its stamp of approval of genuine products after confirmation of its genuineness. Such endorsement of products quality include Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) Quality Mark.

As the apex regulator of standards and approving authority of quality of goods and services, SON confers Nigeria quality mark on products through certification as reward for excellent product performance through consistent compliance to the requirements of the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) at the point of production and on the market. This is also meant to encourage manufacturing industries to continually improve the quality of their products and production processes.

This voluntary certification scheme requires the manufacturer to have in-plant laboratory facilities for monitoring consistent conformance of the products to quality requirements. Every Product that meet the requirements of the scheme are issued with the licence/permit to display the NIS Quality Mark on the product approved by the SON Governing Council. In addition, SON consistently boost Manufacturers Efforts With Nigerian Quality Award (NQA) Scheme.

In this case, it from time to time confers this Award scheme to recognize and reward exceptional product performance through compliance with specific criteria and established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) approved by the SON Governing Council. The Award criteria are based on a combination of the outcome of analysis of factory samples, market samples, sector based index analysis and quality management process analysis using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as Leadership intent towards quality Operating environment and Best Practice adoption; Training; Consumer awareness Information and analysis.

To this end, products that meet the requirements are honored at a grand ceremony with presentation of certificates and plaques. After thoroughly ascertaining the product quality, the manufacturer will be issued with licence to use the prestigious Award logo on promotion and communications materials.

The SON Director General, Osita Aboloma

Early this year, the Director General of the SON, Osita Aboloma urged  Nigerian manufacturers to maintain high quality of their products to boost consumers’ confidence and position themselves for global competitiveness. The call was made in Awka, Anambra state while about 19 manufacturing companies were being issued with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificates Aboloma, who was represented by Mr William Okpe, Regional Coordinator, South East Operations of SON, said the MANCAP certificates were an attestation that the products successfully underwent quality evaluation.

The certification is evidence of adherence to regulatory requirements and it earns some benefits to the producers in terms of safety, increased efficiency, cost reduction and enhanced market access for the products. “The certificates are to attest to the conformity of these certified products to standards after undergoing intensive conformity assessment processes. The MANCAP certificates thus serves the purpose of promoting consumers’ confidence in the products and also guarantee that the certified products can be sold all over Nigeria and across the borders,” he said.

The awardees included Zobis Electrical Cables (manufacturers of wire and cable), Dilly Investment (producers of serviettes), Citizen Chemical Industries (makers plastics buckets) and Integrated Production Limited (manufacturers of PVC pipes). Others were Deco Foams and Chemical Industries Limited, Donna Summer Nigeria Limited (makers of soaps), Nkiruka/Iruka Industries Limited (makers of Bread), De-Eze Packaging Industries Limited and Samana Foods Limited, among others.

SON Task Force Team recievving impounded bags of fake shaving sticks in Lagos

Through relentless investigations and enforcement raids, SON in collaboration with the Nigerian Police, impounded at Ebute Ero Market, Lagos bags of substandard shaving sticks. Also in Lagos, SON confiscated substandard phone accessories worth over N480 million. The Director, Inspectorate and Compliance of SON, Obiora Manafa, who disclosed these, said: “What we have evacuated already is about N480 million worth of substandard telephone accessories such as chargers and adapters. They are all faking of major brands that are doing well in the markets and the worst of it is that they write the names of these successful brands on the faked products to deceive the unsuspecting consumers. This is why when you buy some phone chargers, they stop working under a week after purchase. So you continue to buy chargers every week. To us, this does not make any sense”

Manafa stated further, “We enjoin you to create your own brands by coming to us to get the standards and produce in line with the requirements of the standards. When you choose to smuggle these goods in without SONCAP certificates, we will track and seize them”.

These seized goods would be subjected to laboratory tests and those that fail standards requirements would be destroyed after obtaining court orders to destroy them.” Manafa added that most of the substandard goods that come into the shores of the country were without SONCAP certificates, adding that unscrupulous importers cut corners by dodging the offshore conformity assessment requirement to smuggle in the goods with no economic value into the country. According to him, “Smuggling is another problem we are battling with, but we have told them that wherever these goods are stocked, we would find them. We are empowered by the SON Act 2015 to get into any premises where substandard products are stored and we would confiscate them and arrest the owners to face prosecution”.

Manafa said, “It is an offence to fake people’s products, it is an offence to bring in substandard products and we would not rest till we get substandard products out of our markets. In this case, these goods belong to many importers and we are going to identify them. It is a Herculean task to identify the good and the bad ones, but we are appealing to people that anytime you want to buy, if you are confused, reach out to SON. We are ready to assist you identify the real and original products.”

In all, products certification through Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) Quality Mark, Nigerian Quality Award (NQA) scheme, MANCAP and SONCAP are all aimed at ensuring standards and eliminating fake or counterfeit products while at the same time boosting competitiveness of locally manufactured goods.

*****To be concluded next week with an x-ray of challenges of SON